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John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) is often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality

Contents

Early life

Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland. Deanston is a village in the district of Stirling, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Teith, formerly of West Perthshire Doune ( Gaelic: An Dùn, 'the fort' is a Burgh in the district of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. His father was the local Protestant preacher, his mother a suffragette and ardent Labour Party activist. Suffragette is a term originally coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for the more radical and Militant members of the The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the From an early age, both parents steeped their son in liberal politics, humanistic ideals, and Calvinist moral and religious philosophies, particularly the notion that education was essential to individual freedom and that hard and meaningful work was the way to prove oneself worthy in the sight of God. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the

After service on minesweepers in the Royal Navy during World War I, Grierson entered the University of Glasgow, where he spent a good part of his academic career enmeshed in impassioned political discussion and leftist political activism. A minesweeper is a Naval Warship designed to counter the threat posed by Naval mines The dedicated purpose-built minesweeper first appeared during The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The University of Glasgow (Oilthigh Ghlaschu was founded in 1451 in Glasgow, Scotland and along with its contemporary institutions the University of St Andrews

In 1924, after graduating from the university in moral philosophy, he received a Rockefeller Research Fellowship to study in the US at the University of Chicago, and later at Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Rockefeller Foundation (RF is a prominent Philanthropic organization and Private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue New York City. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. His research focus was the psychology of propaganda--the impact of the press, film, and other mass media on forming public opinion. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Grierson was particularly interested in the popular appeal and influence of the "yellow" (tabloid) press, and the influence and role of these journals on the education of new American citizens from abroad. Yellow journalism is Journalism that downplays legitimate news in favor of eye-catching headlines that sell more newspapers

Social Critic

In the 1930s, Grierson further argued in his essay First Principles of Documentary that Robert Flaherty's film Moana had "documentary value". Robert Joseph Flaherty (16 February 1884 Iron Mountain Michigan - 23 July 1951 Dummerston Vermont) was an American Filmmaker who directed and produced Grierson's principles of documentary were that cinema's potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art form; that the "original" actor and "original" scene are better guides than their fiction counterparts to interpreting the modern world; and that materials "thus taken from the raw" can be more real than the acted article. In this regard, Grierson's views align with the Soviet propagandist Dziga Vertov's contempt for dramatic fiction as "bourgeois excess," though with considerably more subtlety. Dziga Vertov (Дзига Вертов Дзиґа Вертов January 15, 1896 &ndash February 12, 1954) was a Soviet pioneer Grierson's definition of documentary as "creative treatment of actuality" has gained some acceptance, though it presents philosophical questions about documentaries containing stagings and reenactments.

Like a number of other social critics of the time, Grierson was profoundly concerned about what he perceived to be clear threats to democracy. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system In the US, he encountered a marked tendency toward political reaction, anti-democratic sentiments, and political apathy. He read and agreed with the journalist and political philosopher Walter Lippmann's book Public Opinion which blamed the erosion of democracy in part on the fact that the political and social complexities of contemporary society made it difficult if not impossible for the public to comprehend and respond to issues vital to the maintenance of democratic society. Walter Lippmann ( September 23, 1889 - December 14, 1974) was an influential American Writer, Journalist, and

In Grierson's view, a way to counter these problems was to involve citizens in their government with the kind of engaging excitement generated by the popular press, which simplified and dramatized public affair. It was during this time that Grierson developed a conviction that motion pictures could play a central role in promoting this process. (It has been suggested some of Grierson's notions regarding the social and political uses of film were influenced by reading Lenin's's writing about film as education and propaganda. )

Grierson's emerging view of film was as a form of social and political communication--a mechanism for social reform, education, and perhaps spiritual uplift. His view of Hollywood movie-making was considerably less sanguine:

"In an age when the faiths, the loyalties, and the purposes have been more than usually undermined, mental fatigue--or is it spiritual fatigue?--represents a large factor in everyday experience. Our cinema magnate does no more than exploit the occasion. He also, more or less frankly, is a dope pedlar. Cannabis ( Cán-na-bis) is a Genus of Flowering plants that includes three putative species Cannabis sativa subsp "

Film critic

Grierson's emerging and outspoken film philosophies caught the attention of New York film critics at the time. The City of New York He was asked to write criticism for the New York Sun. The New York Sun was a contemporary five-day Daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 until 2008 At the Sun, Grierson wrote articles on film aesthetics and audience reception, and developed broad contacts in the film world. In the course of this writing stint, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in writing about Robert Flaherty's film Moana (1926) (New York Sun, February 8, 1926: "Of course Moana, being a visual account of events in the daily life of a Polynesian youth and his family, has documentary value. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Robert Joseph Flaherty (16 February 1884 Iron Mountain Michigan - 23 July 1951 Dummerston Vermont) was an American Filmmaker who directed and produced Moana ( 1926) is a Documentary film, the first Docufiction in the history of cinema, directed by Robert J Events August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film Don Juan. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ").

During this time, Grierson was also involved in scrutinizing the film industries of other countries. He was involved in arranging to bring Sergei Eisenstein's groundbreaking film The Battleship Potemkin (1925) to US audience for the first time. Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн January 23, 1898 &ndash February 11, 1948) was The Battleship Potemkin ( Броненосец «Потёмкин», ru '''''Bronyenosyets Potyomkin''''' sometimes rendered as The Battleship Events Top grossing films The Big Parade Ben-Hur The Freshman Eisenstein's editing techniques and film theories, particularly the use of montage, would have a significant influence on Grierson's own work.

Filmmaker

Grierson returned to Great Britain in the late 1920s armed with the sense that film could be enlisted to deal with the problems of the Great Depression, and to build national morale and national consensus. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada This article deals with the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s - also known as the Great Slump - on the United Kingdom. Filmmaking for Grierson was an exalted calling; the Filmmaker a patriot. In all of this there was more than a little elitism, a stance reflected in Grierson's many dicta of the time: "The elect have their duty. " "I look on cinema as a pulpit, and use it as a propagandist. "

In the US Grierson had met pioneering documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty. Robert Joseph Flaherty (16 February 1884 Iron Mountain Michigan - 23 July 1951 Dummerston Vermont) was an American Filmmaker who directed and produced Grierson respected Flaherty immensely for his contributions to documentary form and his attempts to use the camera to bring alive the lives of everyday people and everyday events. Less commendable in Grierson's view was Flaherty's focus on exotic and faraway cultures. ("In the profounder kind of way," wrote Grierson of Flaherty, "we live and prosper each of us by denouncing the other"). In Grierson's view, the focus of film should be on the everyday drama of ordinary people. As Grierson wrote in his diaries: "Beware the ends of the earth and the exotic: the drama is on your doorstep wherever the slums; are, wherever there is malnutrition, wherever there is exploitation and cruelty. " "'You keep your savages in the far place Bob; we are going after the savages of Birmingham,' I think I said to him pretty early on. And we did. ")

On his return to England, Grierson joined the Empire Marketing Board (EMB), a governmental agency which had been established several years earlier to promote British world trade and British unity throughout the empire. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 by the Colonial Secretary Leo Amery to promote inter- Empire trade and to persuade consumers to 'Buy Empire' The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. One of the major functions of the EMB was publicity, which the Board accomplished through exhibits, posters, and publications. In 1930 Grierson convinced government funding agencies to establish a film unit within the EMB and to assign him the directorship of the unit. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was within the context of this State funded organization that the "documentary" as we know it today really got its start.

In late 1929 Grierson and his cameraman, Basil Emmott, completed his first film, Drifters, which he wrote, produced and directed. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The film, which follows the heroic work of North Sea herring fishermen, was a radical departure from anything being made by the British film industry or Hollywood. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. Herring are small Oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North A fisherman or fisher is someone who gathers Fish, Shellfish, or other animals from a body of water A large part of its innovation lie in the fierce boldness in bringing the camera to rugged locations such as a small boat in the middle of a gale, and leave relatively less of the action staged. The choice of topic was chosen less from Grierson's curiosity than the fact that he discovered the Financial Secretary had made the herring industry his hobbyhorse. It premiered in London on a double-bill with Eisenstein's then controversial film The Battleship Potemkin, and received high praise from both its sponsors and the press. Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн January 23, 1898 &ndash February 11, 1948) was The Battleship Potemkin ( Броненосец «Потёмкин», ru '''''Bronyenosyets Potyomkin''''' sometimes rendered as The Battleship

After this success, Grierson moved away from film direction into more production and administration within the EMB. He became a tireless organizer and recruiter for the EMB, enlisting a stable of energetic young filmmakers into the film unit between 1930 and 1933. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Those enlisted included filmmakers Basil Wright, Edgar Anstey, Stuart Legg, Paul Rotha, Arthur Elton, Humphrey Jennings, Harry Watt, and Alberto Cavalcanti. Basil Wright, ( June 12, 1907, Sutton, Surrey - 14 October, 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England Edgar Anstey, ( 16 February 1907, Watford, Hertfordshire, England - 26 September 1987, London, Paul Rotha (born Paul Thompson, June 3, 1907, London - March 7, 1984, Wallingford, Oxfordshire) was Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton 10th Baronet ( 10 February 1906 &ndash 1 January 1973) was a pioneer of the British documentary film Humphrey Jennings ( August 19 1907 &ndash September 24 1950) was an English Filmmaker and one of the founders of the Harry Watt may refer to Harry Watt (director, a film director A Harry Watt drill-bit a type of Mortiser Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6 1897 &ndash August 23 1982 was a Brazilian born Film director and producer. This group formed the core of what was to become known as the British Documentary Film Movement.

In 1933 the EMB Film Unit was disbanded, a casualty of Depression era economics. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Grierson's boss at the EMB moved to the General Post Office (GPO) as its first public relations officer with the stipulation that he could bring the EMB film unit with him. Grierson's crew were charged with demonstrating the ways in which the Post Office facilitated modern communication and brought the nation together, a task aimed as much at GPO workers as the general public. During Grierson's administration, the GPO Film Unit produced a series of groundbreaking films, including Night Mail (dir. The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. Night Mail is a 1936 Documentary film about a London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS mail train from London to Basil Wright and Harry Watt, 1936), and Coal Face (dir. Basil Wright, ( June 12, 1907, Sutton, Surrey - 14 October, 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England Harry Watt may refer to Harry Watt (director, a film director A Harry Watt drill-bit a type of Mortiser Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Alberto Cavalcanti, 1936).

Grierson eventually grew restless with having to work within the bureaucratic and budgetary confines of government sponsorship. In response, he sought out private industry sponsorship for film production. He was finally successful in getting the British gas industry to underwrite an annual film program. Perhaps the most significant works produced during this time were Housing Problems (dir. Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, John Taylor, and Grierson's sister Ruby Grierson, 1935) and Song of Ceylon (dir. Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton 10th Baronet ( 10 February 1906 &ndash 1 January 1973) was a pioneer of the British documentary film Edgar Anstey, ( 16 February 1907, Watford, Hertfordshire, England - 26 September 1987, London, John Elston Taylor (1914–1992 was a British Documentary filmmaker Born in Kentish Town, London on October 5 1914 Taylor started work as a film assistant Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Song of Ceylon ( 1934) is a Documentary film directed by the British documentary filmmaker Basil Wright. Basil Wright, 1935)

In 1938, Grierson was invited by the Canadian government to study the country's film production. Basil Wright, ( June 12, 1907, Sutton, Surrey - 14 October, 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Canadian Government, formally Her Majesty's Government in Canada, is the Federal government of Canada. He proposed the government create a national coordinating body for the production of films. In 1939, Canada created the National Film Commission, which would later become the National Film Board of Canada. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is Canada's public film producer and distributor Grierson was the first Commissioner of the Board. When Canada entered World War II in 1939, the NFB focused on the production of propaganda films, many of which Grierson directed. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people After the war, it focused on producing documentaries that reflected the lives of Canadians. The NFB is recognized around the world for producing quality films, many of which have won Academy Awards. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.

From 1957 to 1967 Grierson hosted a successful weekly television program on Scottish television, This Wonderful World, which showed excerpts from outstanding documentaries. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In 1957 he received a special Canadian Film Award. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1979.

Grierson Documentary Film Awards

The Grierson Documentary Film Awards were established in 1972 to commemorate John Grierson and is currently supervised by The Grierson Trust. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The aim of the award is to show outstanding films that demonstrate integrity, originality and technical excellence, together with social or cultural significance. [1]

Grierson Awards are presented annually in nine categories:

Filmography

Filmography as director:

Filmography as producer/creative contributor:

Bibliographies

Grierson Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)

Gary Evans, John Grierson & the National Film Board -- The Politics of Wartime Propaganda; University of Toronto Press, 1984

Joyce Nelson, The Colonized Eye: Rethinking the Grierson Legend; Between the Lines, 1988.

Documentaries About Grierson

Grierson. [2] Produced and directed by Roger Blais. Roger A Blais (born February 4, 1926) is a Canadian geological engineer and academic Montreal, Que. : National Film Board of Canada, c1973. The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is Canada's public film producer and distributor Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. 59 min.

Sources

External links

See also

Edgar Anstey, ( 16 February 1907, Watford, Hertfordshire, England - 26 September 1987, London, Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton 10th Baronet ( 10 February 1906 &ndash 1 January 1973) was a pioneer of the British documentary film Robert Joseph Flaherty (16 February 1884 Iron Mountain Michigan - 23 July 1951 Dummerston Vermont) was an American Filmmaker who directed and produced Humphrey Jennings ( August 19 1907 &ndash September 24 1950) was an English Filmmaker and one of the founders of the Paul Rotha (born Paul Thompson, June 3, 1907, London - March 7, 1984, Wallingford, Oxfordshire) was Basil Wright, ( June 12, 1907, Sutton, Surrey - 14 October, 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England
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